What Should You Look for When Hiring a New Driver Recruiter?

When you’re adding a new truck driver recruiter to your team, you want to find the very best fit for your company and your future drivers. While you’re certainly looking for someone who can stay organized, attentive, and proactive, these additional qualities can help you secure a candidate that will make an impression on prospective drivers and move the needle on your recruiting goals.

Voice & Attitude
We all know how important it is to make a good first impression, and that’s especially true for recruiting. Your recruiters are often the very first point of contact for a prospective driver, so you want to make sure they’re representing your company well. Strong verbal communication skills, as well as a generally pleasant voice, are two central building blocks of a good recruiter. You’re looking for someone who can convey information effectively over the phone and maintain a positive, upbeat attitude. They are the first glimpse of who you are as a company and must be someone who will embody your culture and values.

Sales Experience
A recruiter’s role is ultimately to sell a candidate on a job, which is why prior sales experience can be a nice advantage when evaluating candidates for your recruiting team. Someone who has worked in a field like clothing or car sales can have a real edge over those who haven’t worked in a similar capacity. The ability to read and understand people’s needs is crucial in sales and is, in turn, a valuable skill set in recruiting. If a candidate doesn’t have transportation experience, that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. Industry knowledge can be taught, but relating to people on a personal level is an art honed over time.

Good Listener
The interview is a good opportunity to test a prospective recruiter’s listening skills. Are they engaged with you and the information you’re sharing about your company, or are they just talking about themselves without letting you get a word in edgewise? Although your recruiter should be a skilled communicator, a major part of effective communication is the ability to listen. Without stopping to let a driver explain their needs, how will they know what type of opportunity is the best fit? A recruiter should speak 40% of the time or less. Otherwise, they’re just not going to hear what the recruit needs.

Problem Solver
Once they’ve heard a driver’s concerns, the next step for a successful recruiter is to find a creative solution. The driver on the other end of the line is calling in because they have a problem, whether that’s an issue with their manager, their equipment, or any number of other potential troubles. By understanding their current pain points, a good recruiter can explain how your company can address those issues. What’s equally important is understanding if your company can’t solve that driver’s concerns. Finding a good fit on the front end and being truthful with prospective drivers about how you can or cannot help them will have a major impact on retention down the road.